Ellie Cullen
by EL Hyland
Summary: Sister story about the Cullens having another sister, fifteen year old Ellie. As the youngest and a freshman, Ellie has to navigate high school as a vampire with the help of her protective siblings. Timeline starts when Bella moves to Forks.
1. Chapter 1

Ellie was nervous as she got ready for school that morning. She was forever a freshman at fifteen, it was a new school, it was the middle of the year, and it was not the best circumstances. The last time she was at school, she let her anger get the best of her and had caused a scene that threatened their kind. They had to move immediately. It was a mess, one she was sure her family never forgave her for, even if they said they did.

It was her first day back after a long break from public life. She had spent time with friends, away from her family, partly out of guilt, but they visited often. She learned control again and then returned home, not completely on her own. Carlisle had brought her back during his last visit as he thought it was time she stopped hiding from them. She reluctantly agreed, mostly because she missed them.

She was so young when she was turned that Carlisle and Esme really did become parents to her. She was close with them all because she never had a real family. She was given up for adoption at birth, in and out of orphanages and foster homes until a fatal accident brought her to Carlisle and he saved her by turning her. It had taken her awhile to adjust to their family because she was abused as a human, but she opened up to them, which made the incident that much harder for her to deal with.

She had a special connection with Carlisle right away, and then with Esme almost immediately after meeting her. But her past made it difficult for her trust people, even if she wanted to, and it was hard for her to be surrounded by so many people. Edward's ability made bonding with him easy, he could hear her thoughts, understand her fears and navigate around them. Emmett's constant protectiveness towards her made trusting him easier for her, and Jasper's ability to ease her emotions allowed her to feel comfortable around him.

As much as she always wanted sisters, those bonds didn't come easy. Alice came on very strong, she knew Ellie would warm up to the family and eventually be one of them, but it still took a while for her to warm up to Alice, not that Alice minded. Rosalie was by far the hardest, and they still have their moments. Rosalie was the main reason she left after the incident, and the one that she was sure did not forgive her. Being around her was always hard, now more than ever.

"Elle, we're going to be late for school," Emmett called from the bottom of the stairs. "Let's go."

"Leave her," Rosalie mumbled. "Eleanor can run." She knew Ellie could hear her, and she used her full name to catch her attention and get under her skin.

"You and Alice can go ahead in your car," Edward suggested. He was always quick to interrupt Rosalie's snarky comments, especially when directed at Ellie because he knew how much they hurt her. "Len, come on."

She appeared at the top of the stairs but froze when she saw them all standing there. She frowned slightly, the anxiety flooding from her and hitting Jasper.

 _Edward, I can't do it. Please, just go without me._

Edward frowned at her thoughts before nodding at Jasper. "You'll be fine," Jasper said as she felt a calming wave hit her. She appreciated it and headed down the stairs.

"Are we done with the theatrics?" Rosalie asked, causing Ellie to freeze halfway down the stairs.

 _She hates me. Everyone hates me. I ruined everything. I'll ruin everything again._

"Rosalie leave," Edward said forcibly as Ellie's thoughts ran wild. "You're not helping."

"Oh come on," she said. "You all play into her little game for attention."

Ellie disappeared from the stairs immediately, her door slamming loudly moments later. The guys sighed and turned to glare at Rosalie, except Emmett didn't quite glare at his wife for fear of upsetting her. Alice focused on the future for a moment and showed Edward that he needed to talk to her, only he could get her to go to school.

"See," Rosalie said. "She's throwing a fit and wants all attention to be on her."

"If anyone is looking for attention, it's you." Edward said to Rosalie.

"Oh please, you all baby her," she said. "That's why she's like that."

"No, she's like that because you're always mean to her." Edward said. "I heard her."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "It's a game."

"No," Jasper shook his head. "I felt her pain, you hurt her feelings."

Rosalie shrugged, she really didn't care much about anything or anyone except herself. Edward shook his head as he headed up the stairs. "We will meet you there."

Edward knocked lightly before he entered her room. She was sitting crossed legged in the chair by her window with a blanket in her lap. She was trying to block him from her mind, but she wasn't very successful. He sat on the ottoman in front of her and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"You can't hide in this house forever," he said.

"Sure I can," she mumbled.

"You'll like it here," he said. "It's hardly ever sunny. We can almost be normal teenagers with normal lives."

 _That's why I don't want to go. I don't want to ruin how good it is here for everyone._

Edward sighed. "You slipped up once, Len," he said. "Carlisle fixed it and we left and everything turned out fine."

 _I almost killed someone, Edward._

"But you didn't," he reminded. "Alice saw it, and we got to you before you went too far. It's been two years, Len."

 _Well, I have all of eternity to go to school. Why can't I just wait until the next time we move?_

"Carlisle won't be happy if you don't at least try," he said.

Carlisle appeared in the doorway. "I won't be happy about what?" He asked. "Are you not going to school?"

 _He looks disappointed. I'm always disappointing him. I'm such a disappointment to this family._

"No you aren't," Edward said. "Stop it, Eleanor."

Edward rarely used her full name, none of them did too often because they knew she didn't like it. Most of them called her Elle, or Ellie, and only Edward called her Len. Carlisle frowned as he entered the room and leaned down beside the chair she was sitting in before looking to Edward for an update.

"She's afraid of losing control at school again and disappointing us," he said simply. "And, Rose upset her again."

"I'll talk to Rosalie," he said as he put his hand over Ellie's hands to comfort her. "It's time to try again."

"Dad, I can't," she said. "What if I lose control again? I'll ruin everything you built here."

"Your brothers and sisters won't be far if you need them, but I believe you are ready. We all make mistakes, Ellie, but we're still family."

She nodded. "Okay, Dad."

Carlisle kissed her head as he rose from his kneeling position. "I'll see you when I get home from work and you can tell me all about your first day." He smiled at her, cupping her chin briefly before turning to leave the room.

 _Edward, watch her closely today. She needs all of you._

Edward nodded at Carlisle, careful to disguise it as a nod to Ellie. "Alright, let's go."

The drive was quiet and Edward tried to stay out of her head. She was staring out the window, listening to the music and kept her mind calm. He was proud of her for trying so hard when he knew how hard it was for her. He walked her to and from all her classes that day, making sure to leave his early to meet her. She was okay in the morning, but now it was lunch and he worried about her social life.

They headed for the cafeteria to meet up with the others. The second he walked into the room he heard his name and as he glanced back at Ellie who was a step behind him, and he knew she had heard it too.

"Who's that?" The new girl, Bella Swan, asked.

"That's Edward Cullen," Jessica said.

"And, is he with the one behind him?" She asked. Jessica had told her all about their weird family and how some of them were together as couples.

"No, that's his sister, Ellie." She said. "Apparently she's a dance prodigy and spent the last two years with her Aunt in Paris. No one knows much about her, including why she came home. If I was in Paris, I'd never come home, but today is her first day too. She's a freshman, probably the most beautiful freshman alive. I didn't look like that at fifteen, but the whole family is unnaturally beautiful."

Edward smirked and turned his head slightly to look at Ellie. It was a gesture he didn't have to do, he could read her thoughts and she had as good of hearing as him. She heard the compliment and she was smiling slightly, a smile that widened when they made eye contact.

"Elle," Emmett gestured for her to sit beside him and he slung his arm around her when she did. "Rose wants to tell you something."

Rosalie glared slightly at him before she looked at Ellie. "You made a mistake, but I forgive you." She said. "I shouldn't have made things more difficult for you this morning."

Ellie nodded. "Thanks," she said. She wasn't sure she really believed her, she was pretty sure Carlisle told her to say that and Emmett all but made her do it, but it was the best she was going to get from Rosalie.

"How was your morning?" Jasper asked.

Ellie shrugged. "It was okay."

Edward was glancing around the room, listening to the chatter and the thoughts. "No one is suspicious of you," he confirmed. "They believe the Paris story." He frowned slightly. "Hmm."

"What?" Ellie asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing for you," he mumbled as he glanced at Jasper and Emmett. "Just a problem for us, because you seem to have caught the eye of many of the male students."

"No way," Emmett said. "You are not dating any of them."

"Isn't dating what normal fifteen year olds do?" She said with a grin.

"Not all of them," Jasper said. "It's quite normal to wait until junior or senior year to start dating."

"Or, I could just date a senior?" Ellie suggested, much to the dismay of her brothers. "That's pretty normal too."

With her current thought process Alice saw a possible future for Ellie's dating life, which Edward saw right away. "Protective brothers scaring their sister's boyfriend is also normal." He mumbled. "Keep that in mind if you want to start dating."

"You shouldn't date humans," Rosalie said. "That's what got you into the mess the last time."

"Rose," Emmett said as the others glared at her. Ellie looked down at the table momentarily before getting up and leaving the room. She tried to block Edward from her thoughts but he knew she was headed for the parking lot when Alice and Jasper quickly followed her out.

"What?" She said. "It's the truth, she needs to be careful."

"She needs for you to be supportive and not bring it up every chance you get." Edward said as he followed Alice and Jasper out of the cafeteria. They were talking to her by the car and she was begging someone to take her home, or she was going to run home.

"Don't let her get to you," Alice said as Jasper tried to control her mood. "She doesn't mean it."

"She does mean it," Ellie stressed. _That's why it hurts so much._

"Ignore her," Edward said. "It doesn't matter what she says."

"I can't ignore her, she never stops. Please, someone take me home, or I'm going to run there." She was upset and had a lot of anxiety until she felt Jasper hit her with a calming wave. She glared at him. "That's not fair. I should be allowed to have feelings."

"You are," he said. "I'm simply helping you keep those feelings in check."

"Oh, right, so I don't ruin everything again." She nodded. "I'm going home."

She stepped quickly into the forest line of trees before using her vampire speed to not alert the humans. She didn't get very far before Edward ran by her, cutting her off as he stopped in front of her because he was faster than them all. He caught her as she was about to crash into him and he held her closely for a moment.

"You can walk back nicely with me, or I can drag you back there, your choice." He said as he turned her around and began to walk back toward the school. "But, you are not giving up like this over something Rosalie said. She isn't worth your happiness. You are fitting in, better than any of us have. And, you have people that want to be your friend already. I heard them and I heard you, you had a good morning."

"I'm not ready, Edward." She said with pleading eyes. "I tried and it's too hard. I can't do it."

"You don't know that," he said. "But, you are in control and you know it, and the only way to find out if you are ready is to keep trying."

"I see nothing bad happening," Alice confirmed once they reached the parking lot again. "You are in control, Elle."

Ellie frowned as she looked to Jasper. "Okay, fine," she mumbled. "Wake me to class?"

Jasper smirked and slung his around her shoulders, pulling her close for a moment to kiss her head. "Come on, little one, you got this."

He knew she wanted him to walk her so that he could calm her on the way, which he did. She was more nervous about slipping up that worried that she actually would. Edward knew this, she was overthinking everything, but when she wouldn't listen to him, Jasper's gift came in handy to make her feel at ease.

Ellie got through the rest of the day, but when Edward didn't show up to meet her at her last class her nerves returned as she the halls filled with students. She reluctantly followed the crowd, hoping to find the parking lot quickly. When she spotted Edward in the office, she headed to meet him, walking in behind the new girl, Bella Swan.

She had barely made it through the door when Edward turned around, mumbling about enduring it as he angrily walked past Bella. He was surprised to see Ellie, but it didn't slow him down, he simply grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the office.

"Sorry for not meeting you," he mumbled. "Let's go."

"What was that about?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said shortly, but she knew something was wrong, and when they reached the cars, she wasn't the only sibling that had noticed his changed behaviour.


	2. Chapter 2

Ellie followed Edward out to the parking lot, aware that he was walking just a little too fast. She glanced around, checking to see if anyone was noticing, but most of the students were locked into their own worlds. The others were already waiting for them at the cars and they all noticed Edward's changed mood right away. Unlike the rest of them, he was able to keep quiet about what was bothering him, if it was one of them, Edward would know what was wrong immediately from their thoughts. It almost didn't seem fair.

Edward got into the driver's side of the car without saying a word, followed by Alice in the passenger seat. The others hovered between the two cars for a moment, frowning at the confusion of the scene. "What's going on?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know," Ellie shrugged. "I ran into him coming out of the guidance office, he was off but he wouldn't say why."

"Alice will figure it out," Jasper said. "Let's get going, he's on edge."

"We'll meet you at home," Emmett nodded as he and Rosalie got in her car.

Jasper opened the door for Ellie and she climbed across the seats, sitting behind Alice as Jasper sat behind Edward. She knew he did it on purpose, from that seat he could make eye contact with Edward in the mirror and with Alice in the front seat.

"You're leaving?" Alice said suddenly.

"Am I?" Edward questioned with a smirk, but he wasn't amused.

"Oh," Alice said and they knew she was seeing clips of his future. "You need to tell Carlisle, drop us off at the end of the laneway, we'll give you some privacy."

"No," Ellie spoke up. "You can't leave."

"I'll explain it to you later," Alice said. "It's for the best."

"We're not supposed to run away," she said. "That's what you said to me, that we can't hide."

"It's not the same," Edward growled.

"It's always the same," she argued. "It's about control, right? We run when we lose control, or when we're afraid we will."

"I let you run," Edward said turned around in his seat once he stopped the car in the laneway. "I supported your decision to get some space, I need some space now."

 _But, I need you. I can't do this school thing without you._

"Yes, you can," he reassured.

 _Please, come back._

"I will," he said sincerely. "I promise."

Ellie nodded and got out of the car with Alice and Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie were parked behind them, and they all decided to wait by the car to give Edward his chance to talk to Carlisle and Esme alone. Jasper and Alice were standing by the car, holding hands, and Emmett and Rosalie were sitting on the back of the car, his arm around her tightly. It reminded her how alone she was, and that's why she was so close to Edward, he didn't have a mate yet either.

Jasper turned his gaze to Ellie when he felt her emotions. She was standing a few feet away with her hands in the pockets of her jacket, looking and feeling left out. He could feel her despair, and her worry, but the sadness was hard for him. She looked fine, and she kept quiet a lot, most people wouldn't know how much pain she was really in.

"Hey," Jasper said as he walked over to her and put his arm around her. "Talk to me, little one."

"It's nothing," she said as she shook her head.

"Eleanor," he said firmly, a slight warning as he raised his brow at her. "I can feel it, what's going on?"

"Is this how I made you feel when I left?" She asked.

"Yes," Emmett interrupted, listening into their conversation. "But you came back, and he will too."

"We missed you," Jasper reminded her. "But, we understood you needed to go."

"It would be nice if our family would just stay together," Rosalie said. "I'm tired of missing people."

Ellie was surprised at her comments, and she wasn't the only one. Rosalie was a complicated person, but deep down she did care for her family. She noticed Ellie watching her and she waved her over to the car. Emmett moved over and helped her up to sit between him and Rosalie.

"I haven't always been the nicest to you," she said. "You're my little sister, we're not always supposed to get along, but I am glad you are home."

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes, really," Rosalie nodded. "And, now that you are home, we can work on this sister bond."

Ellie smiled. "Can you take me shopping?"

"Can I?" Rosalie grinned. "I've been dying to ever since you said you wanted to get a new wardrobe for school."

"I want to come too!" Alice said as she paused. "It's settled, we're having a girls weekend."

Emmett jumped off the car and gestured for Ellie as he reached out a helping hand. "Come on, you need to hunt and I want to talk to you alone," he said.

"About what?" She asked hesitantly.

"About a few things," he said. "Taking off today for one, boys for the other."

"I didn't take off, I was going to come home," she explained as they walked into the woods. "And, there are no boys."

"There better not be," he mumbled. "Just because were frozen, it still doesn't mean you need to date. If you find a mate, that's different, just make sure he's of our kind."

"I don't think I'll ever find a mate," she said. "It's been a long time already, I was turned too young."

"Elle, we're frozen in time, age isn't going to matter much," he said. "And, unfortunately, there are, and will be, others your age or close to it. I know you feel left out and lonely, but I don't want that to be a reason why you leave or stay gone. You still fit into this family, with or without a mate."

"How did you know Rose was your mate?" She asked.

"Well, she saved my life," he said. "But, I suppose I just knew. It's hard to explain."

"That's what everyone says," she nodded. "I've never felt that."

"You will," he smiled. "One day, when you find the right person, it will just click. You'll know, and it will make sense."

"I don't think I've ever even been in love," she said. "I've only had a few serious boyfriends, if you could even call them that, and I thought it was love, but then it ended, and I realized it wasn't."

He grinned. "You're still young, we all are. It's easy to fall in love, everyone wants to, and yeah, sometimes it's true love, but it's still a kind of love."

"Yeah, but you had relationships before you were turned, and you're forever twenty, not barely fifteen," she sighed and stopped walking, causing him to stop and turn back toward her. "Emmett,"

He studied her, frowning as he read her face. "What aren't you telling me?"

"There was someone when I was away," she explained. "He's the reason I stayed gone for so long, and the reason I came back so suddenly."

"Who else knows?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Did he do something to you?"

"Only Carlisle, and no, unless you count breaking my heart," she said. "It was that raw, all consuming kind of love, and I hate myself for falling for it. I thought he was making me a better person, helping me find myself, but I got lost in the fantasy of loving him."

Emmett frowned and walked back toward her to comfort her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "For the record," he said. "I do count breaking your heart as him doing something to you."

She let out a muffled laugh against his chest. "I feel like I wasted a year of my life loving him," she said as they separated. "A year I could have been with you guys."

"You're here now," he said. "And, you will find the right someone someday."

"Will I?" She said. "If you remember correctly, the guy before this one was the reason we had to leave our last home. I lost control."

"Because you fell for a human," he said.

"I know," she nodded. "And, that's why I know Edward has too. He's leaving to avoid making the same mistake I did."

"Come on now, Len," Edward said as he emerged from the trees. He had caught the tail end of their conversation. "Give yourself a break already with that. You lost control, it happens, it's in our nature. We fixed it and yeah, I'm trying to avoid losing control, but this isn't your fault."

"I was wrong," she said. "I shouldn't have left, and neither should you."

"It's not forever," he reminded as he approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I need a break, just to gain better control, and then I'll be back."

Ellie sighed. "Alright, but if you don't come back I'm coming to look for you."

Edward smirked. "You got it."

"Are we hunting, or what?" Emmett called with arms stretched out as he looked at his siblings.

Ellie and Edward glanced at each other before chasing after Emmett to start the hunt. They weren't gone for long, Emmett was an amazing hunter and Edward had to leave soon. The goodbyes were hard, but he kept them short and then he was just gone from the house, leaving it quiet and sad. Edward was the center of their family and without him, it wasn't the same.

She felt sad he was gone, and then guilt washed over her as she realized she very well made everyone in the family feel this same sadness when she left. Maybe not as deep or painful as Edward's leaving, but she imaged it was still painful and that they missed her. And, if they missed her half as much as she missed him she felt utterly horrible for inflicting such feelings on those she loved the most.

Carlisle was beside her and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as she sought out comfort from him. He smiled and kissed her head before he shifted to put his arm around her. He had a slightly different bond with her and Edward than the others, it wasn't favouritism, but Edward had been with him the longest and Ellie was the youngest. They all considered Carlisle and Esme their parents, but only Ellie called them Mom and Dad to their face.

"He will be back," he soothed. "Just like you came back to us."

She felt another stab of guilt and looked up to catch Jasper's gaze. He frowned slightly, which did not go unnoticed by the others. "What is it?" Esme asked, sitting down on the other side of Ellie.

"Guilt, little one?" Jasper asked her.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about, Eleanor." Rosalie said.

"Don't call me that," she mumbled.

Rosalie smiled. "I mean it," she said. "We forgave you, not long after it happened, even me."

"She's right," Carlisle said when Ellie remained quiet and he rubbed her arm and Esme held her hand.

"I know," she sighed. "I just can't help but feel bad for making you all feel like I do right now, missing Edward and wondering when he will come back."

"We understood," Esme said. "Like you understand why Edward had to leave."

"I don't want to feel this way," she sighed. "I can't help it."

"Jasper," Alice nudged him but he didn't move. "Go help her."

"She doesn't want me to," he said as he tilted his head and studied her. "She wants to feel it."

"I deserve to feel it," she said as she looked up at him.

"You do not!" Alice said. "You deserve to be happy, Elle."

"Leave what happened in the past," Carlisle said before he nodded at Jasper.

She felt the calming wave, followed by the wave of happiness and the pain and guilt lifted from her chest. She sighed, it felt like she could breathe again and she looked up at Jasper, mouthing a thank you, to which he nodded with a smile.

OOOOO

Ellie was consumed in her own thoughts at school, not paying much attention to the students or what issues they concerned themselves with. She still felt a bit lonely without Edward, the others were trying, but she still missed him, as did they. Her classes were boring and no one had bothered much to get to know her, in fact they almost seemed to avoid her and their family. She figured her siblings created that boundary when they first arrived and they lumped her into their preferences. But, they all had each other, they didn't really need friends, but she did.

She closed her locker and jumped when she saw Bella Swan on the other side. She didn't scare easily, but she had gotten used to being ignored and she was distracted. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't meant to startle you, you're Ellie right?"

"It's fine," she nodded with a small smile. "Yes, and you're Bella."

"I have biology with your brother, Edward, but he hasn't been in class for a few day," she said slowly. "Is he sick?"

"He's visiting some family out of town," she explained. "He'll be back."

"Right," she nodded.

Ellie nodded back, trying to navigate the awkward conversation. "Well, if that's all you wanted to know," she said.

"Sort of," she said as Jessica and Mike approached Bella. "But, hey, you should eat lunch with us? I mean, we're both new."

"Yes, but the students have taken much more of a liking to you than me," she said.

"It's only because you're a Cullen," Jessica blurted out, and then quickly tried to fix it. "I mean, your family all eats together, and you know, we kind of got the impression from them that they don't want to be bothered by any of us."

"And, your brothers are kind of intimidating," Mike said. "Especially Emmett, he's a big dude, and the other two are kind of silent and it just makes it hard to come talk to you."

Ellie nodded with a smirk. "They can be pretty private and protective," she said. "We're not the conventional family, and they can feel judged."

"You mean because their together?" Jessica said. "Yeah, that is a little weird, right?"

"A little," Ellie smiled. "It's okay to say that, but we are all adopted and we move around a lot."

"Yeah, I totally get it," Jessica said, even though she didn't. "You should eat with us, though. It would show people you wanted to socialize."

Ellie nodded and followed them to the cafeteria, sitting down with them, Eric and Angela at their usual table. It didn't take long for them to adjust to her being there and include her in the conversation and Ellie did feel better having people to talk to. She noticed some of the other students staring though, and she turned to see her siblings had come in and taken their seats and their usual table.

"Uhm, I'll be right back, I just have to talk to them," Ellie said to Bella and crossed the cafeteria to join her siblings. She slid into the stead beside Emmett, and across from Alice. "They asked me to have lunch with them."

"You say no," Emmett growled. "They'll notice you are not eating and they'll start asking questions."

"I need to make friends," she said.

"We're your friends," Rosalie said. "What do you have in common with these humans?"

"You're couples, and my siblings," she stressed. "I need school friends. It's harder for me, I'm alone, even more so now without Edward."

"I think it's good for her," Alice said as he exchanged a smile with Ellie. "Nothing bad is going to happen."

"You saw this?" Jasper asked. "What else have you seen?"

"Oh just a few things," she said. "It's good for her, let her make some friends, go to some parties, go on some dates."

"Oh no," Emmett shook his head. "No dates, not yet."

"I can't be a hermit," Ellie said and she looped her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulders. "Come on, Emmett, it's just lunch."

He sighed. "Fine, but be careful." He said as he quickly kissed her head before she moved it. "I'll meet you after your last class."

Ellie got up and left before any of them could change their mind and stop her. She tried not to look back at them but she knew with the exception of Alice, they weren't happy. Alice was always supportive, it was easy to be when you could see the outcome, and Ellie just wished they would listen to her.

After lunch she went to class and Jessica was right, the students were more welcoming of her after they saw her having lunch with them. They were starting conversations with her and including her in plans, she even got invited to a party that weekend, and a boy in her last class walked her to her locker at the end of the day.

"Yeah, so, you should definitely come this Friday." His name was Luke and he was beyond cute. "There is going to be a lot of people from our grade there, it will be fun, so let me know if you want to go, I can pick you up on my way there."

"Go where?" Emmett said from behind Ellie as he glared at the fifteen year old boy that was shamelessly hitting on his sister.

"There's this party," he stammered. "Just some people from school on Friday,"

"No," Emmett said quickly. "Our parents won't allow it."

Ellie rolled her eyes and ignored him. "I'll let you know," she said. "See you tomorrow."

"You're not going," he said once they were walking away. "It's not a good idea."

"What's not a good idea?" Jasper asked as he and Alice joined them as they walked across the parking lot.

"I got invited to a party on Friday," she explained.

"I agree, that isn't a good idea," Jasper said. "Too many triggers for you, it's too soon. You need to have better control, little one."

"I do have control," she said. "You know I do, you've been helping me, you said I was ready."

"To come back to school, not to go to a party," he said. "There is a difference, Ellie."

"Oh, it's just a party," Alice said. "I saw it after lunch, harmless fun, she'll be fine."

"Well, if you're going to a party," Rosalie said with a grin. "You need a new outfit, so let's go shopping."


	3. Chapter 3

Ellie flipped through racks at a clothing store, trying to find something to wear to the party this Friday. They dropped Emmett and Jasper off at the house and quickly filled Esme in before they left. Esme was excited and didn't have a problem with Ellie going to the party, much to the dismay of her brothers, but everyone knew the ultimate decision was with Carlisle, who would be home from work later that night.

Ellie was beyond happy to be shopping with her sisters, even if they had very different styles and disagreed on what looked best on her. Rosalie wanted Ellie to wear black jeans, a white flowing tank top and a leather jacket. She was searching for some ankle boots and gold costume jewelry that would pull the outfit together. Alice on the other hand wanted Ellie to wear a burgundy lace dress with tights and a jean jacket. It wasn't really her style, but neither was Rosalie's outfit choice, although she liked it better.

"It's a party in the woods, Alice," Rosalie said. "It's not a dance."

"She can still wear a dress, it's a date after all!" Alice argued. "Your outfit choice makes her look like she's about to join a motorcycle gang."

Rosalie grinned at Ellie. "A sexy motorcycle gang," she said and Ellie smiled back.

"What do you want to wear?" Alice asked.

Ellie bit her lip in hesitation. She didn't want to upset either of her sisters. "I don't know," she said. "I like them both."

"Alright, let's just get them both and you can decide later," Rosalie said.

"What if Dad says no?" Ellie asked. "Then we just bought two new outfits."

"He won't say no," Alice said. "He's going to want to talk, but he'll say yes."

Ellie didn't even have to ask how she knew or if she was sure, she knew Alice was talking about one of her visions. She grabbed the clothes and went to the cash register and Rosalie put her arm around her sister. "And if he says no, you have two new outfits to cheer you up," she smiled.

"Thanks Rose," Ellie smiled.

They took a longer way home, listening to music and chatting about different things going on. They were both pretty excited for Ellie, they had been married for so long that it had been a while since anyone had started dating or going out to social events. They mostly kept to themselves, they had to, and the rest of them had no reason to socialize since they already found a mate. But, it was different for Edward and Ellie, especially for Ellie since she was younger, both physically and the last one to join the family.

When they pulled into the driveway they noticed Carlisle's car was there and Ellie felt her nerves return. They walked into the house to find Esme reading on the couch and the rest of the house seemingly empty. She looked up and smiled when they came in.

"Jasper and Emmett went hunting," she said.

"Where's Dad?" Ellie asked.

"He's waiting for you in his office," she said.

"Did you tell him anything?"

"Just that you wanted to talk to him," she said.

Ellie nodded and headed toward his office. He had the door open and he was on the phone, facing away from her. She could hear both sides of the conversation of course, it was about a patient at the hospital and she noticed the various files on his desk. He was always bringing his work home and trying to figure out the best ways to help the community, perks of not sleeping and having eight extra hours a day.

She waited until he turned back around and he smiled at her as he finished his phone conversation before waving her in. "Hi Dad," she said as she closed the door.

"Hi baby," he said. "Did you have fun shopping with your sisters?"

"Yes, but they have very different styles," she said as he smiled. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course," he came around his desk to sit in the chairs in front of it with her. "What's on your mind?"

"I was invited to a party," she said slowly. "It's tonight in the woods."

"In the woods?" he raised a brow.

"Well, it's someone's house but the party is outside and they live in the woods," she said. "Like our house."

"I see," he said. "And, are you asking for my permission, or looking for my reassurance?"

"Both?" she frowned. "I want to go, but I don't want anything to happen. Everyone likes it here."

"Yes, but that's beside the point," he reminded. "How do you feel about your control?"

She shrugged. "I feel fine," she said. "But, I can't be sure."

He nodded. "You're right. You can't be sure, until you try."

"Is that a yes?" she asked.

He smiled, but he was interrupted from answering when Emmett burst into the office. "She can't go to this party," he said. "She's not ready."

"And, why do you think she's not ready?" Carlisle asked calmly.

"Because," Emmett said. "She's not even sure."

"Probably because you are putting doubts into her head," Carlisle said as he leaned back trying to see past Emmett. "Are you all there?"

Emmett moved out of the doorway and into the room and the other funneled into the office. Esme lingered in the doorway as the other coupled up. Rose was trying to calm Emmett down, but everyone except Ellie could see his anger was coming from worry. Alice was her high energy self as usual, and Jasper was slightly behind her as he scanned the emotions in the room.

"Stop that," Emmett glared at Jasper, something he rarely did.

"You need to calm down," Jasper said simply.

"What is your opinion?" Carlisle asked him. As the most experienced with training vampires, Jasper was often the one they turned to, even though he himself had issues with control.

"I think she is more in control than she gives herself credit for," he said. "However, I'm not sure a party is the best place to test her control."

"So, you don't think she should go?" Carlisle further pressed.

"I'm uneasy about the situation," he admitted. "But, I believe in her." He smiled at Ellie and she easily returned it.

"I don't see anything bad happening," Alice added.

"That's not accurate," Emmett said. "You know you won't see it until she starts to lose control."

"Then, we stay in the woods around the party in case she needs us," Alice said.

Carlisle nodded. "Problem solved," he said as he rose from his chair and kissed Ellie's forehead. "I need to finish some phone calls."

"Carlisle," Emmett began to argue.

"I've made my decision, Emmett." He said as he held his hand up. "She can go. End of discussion."

"Come on," Rosalie said to Ellie. "Let's go decide on what you should wear."

"Let's get the guys to vote on the outfits," Alice suggested, trying to get them involved.

The five of them headed up the stairs and into Ellie's room. She sat on her chair while Jasper leaned against the back of the chair behind her and Emmett leaned against the wall by the door with his arms crossed. He still wasn't happy and everyone could tell he didn't like this idea, but they could also tell he was trying to let it go. Rosalie and Alice each grabbed their outfit choice from the closet and held them out for everyone to see.

"What do you like better?" Rosalie asked as she held up the outfits. "Cute and sweet dress, or sexy leather jacket and jeans?"

Emmett frowned. "Did you seriously just ask like that?" he said. "She's my little sister. I don't want the word sexy to ever describe her."

"I second that," Jasper said.

"So, my outfit it is!" Alice said.

"Actually," Ellie said slowly. "I think the pants might be better for a party outside. I really like the outfit you picked out too, Alice."

"Oh, don't worry, you can wear whatever you want," she said, she knew Ellie was trying to make sure she didn't upset her. "You can wear the dress when he asks you out on a second date."

Ellie smiled. "Good idea."

OOOOO

Ellie could feel herself starting to lose control. She was fighting hard, she was taking deep breaths, but she didn't know how much longer she could keep it up. She looked around, there were too many people for her to run through the crowd and she was afraid if she tried she would get shoved or get too close and she would lose all control. She didn't want to blindly run into the woods either, she wasn't scared of what she could fine she was scared what she'd do if she found anyone.

She knew her siblings were in the area, and she knew they could hear her if she called out for help. She wanted Edward, but of course he wasn't there. Jasper would be her next choice, he would calm her down, but he didn't have the best control in crowds either. Emmet would scare everyone off and she would be embarrassed by her big brother hauling her out of a party. Alice was too nice, and she would get easily distracted talking to her friends. Ellie knew who she really needed in that moment, the person who could remove her without causing a scene, without embarrassing her or having people ask too many questions, and the person who would get her through the crowd quickly and be able to calm her down in the process.

"Rose," she whispered. "Get me out of here."

"Here," Luke handed her a drink as he studied her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"Is that your sister?" Catie, a new friend asked.

Rosalie was so beautiful she could clear a crowd like parting the red sea. People would move out of her way and they would stay out of her way as they watched her. She was closed off and self-absorbed, so that kept people at a distance but they still looked. They wouldn't expect any of the Cullens to be at a party, but now there were two and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Hey," Rose said casually to Ellie and her group of friends. "Sorry to be the downer, but Mom sent me to pick you up."

"Oh, really?" Luke said disappointed. "Are you sure you have to go? I can bring you home later?"

"Family stuff," Rosalie added and exchanged a glance with Ellie. "It can't wait."

"Rain check?" Ellie said to Luke with a nod. "I'll call you later."

She smiled and turned to follow Rosalie through the crowd. She stayed close and held onto Rosalie's hand like a little kid being guided through a store by their Mother. The moment they got a few feet into the forest line and away from any eyes, they ran until they met up with the others. Rosalie didn't let go of Ellie's hand until the others surrounded them and Jasper was in front of Ellie.

"You're in control," he said as he put his hands on her shoulders and sent a strong calming wave through her.

She responded by taking a deep breath and nodded as she felt herself regain her control. "Thank you," she said. "You can say I told you so now."

Jasper smirked with a wink as he kissed her head. "You did good," he said. "You showed tremendous control. I'm proud of you."

"Well, if you're not going to say it, I will," Emmett said. "You weren't ready, and this isn't a good idea even on our best days, and you haven't had any of those in a long time."

"Emmett," Alice said. "She wasn't going to do anything. I would have seen it, and we were all here."

"You saw this, didn't you?" he asked. "That's why you wanted us all here."

Jasper frowned as he turned to his wife. "Did you?"

"Yes," she reluctantly admitted.

"What?" Ellie exclaimed. "Alice, you told me I'd be fine."

"And you are," she nodded. "You needed to do this, otherwise you'd continue to hide and be scared and that doubt would cause you to lose control."

"She's right," Rose agreed. "You needed to know you could keep control and remove yourself from these situations."

"But, I didn't remove myself," Ellie said. "I needed help."

"Yes, but you realized that and you asked for it," Alice said.

"You're in control, little one." Jasper reassured. "Even if we feel loss of control, reaching out for help in those times of need still shows control."

Ellie looked to Emmett, she always needed all her siblings to agree. If one of them was upset with her it wouldn't matter that the rest of them weren't. She was sensitive, maybe too sensitive for this world. Emmett was standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, but a nudge from Rose and a glare from Alice snapped him out of his judgemental moment. He sighed and uncrossed his arms as he walked toward her.

"I didn't like this because I don't want something to happen to you again. And, I don't mean something that makes us move, I could care less if we move a hundred times a year, but you were gone for two years Elle," he tried to explain. "The guilt almost killed you and I don't want to watch you go through that again, but Alice is right, you needed this. We all did."

Jasper felt the pain and guilt radiate from Ellie, and he put a hand on the small of her back. "Just because we missed you doesn't mean we blamed you," he reminded.

Emmett glanced at Jasper and easily picked up on what was going through Ellie's mind. "I'm not mad, not about this, not about before, not about moving," he tried to explain. "You're the baby of the family, and I'm your big brother, so I'm always going to look out for you."

Ellie was still overwhelmed with emotions and not sure how to react. She felt Jasper push her forward slightly toward Emmett and she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. He smiled as he held her and glanced around at the others, who were smiling too.

"Oh," Alice said suddenly and drew the attention of her siblings. She smiled once all eyes were on her and she leaned into Jasper. "I don't want to ruin the surprise," she said and they immediately knew she had a vision.

"Alright," Emmett said as he kept a protective arm around Ellie. "Let's go home."


	4. Chapter 4

They all headed back to the house with Alice just about bursting at the seams to tell them Edward was back. She wasn't going to budge, so no one pushed her to find out what she knew and was hiding from them, but none of them thought the surprise was Edward. They figured he'd call when he decided to come back, and Carlisle would gather them all up and let them know so they could all be there when he got back.

Ellie was lagging behind the group, mostly because she was embarrassed about how the night turned out and she was beating herself up. She didn't want to have to tell Carlisle and Esme she was wrong and she wasn't ready and that she had failed. She was also really missing Edward as she watched her other siblings paired up and walking back to the house.

Alice eagerly opened the front door and bounced into the living room where Edward was sitting with Esme and Carlisle on the couch. She flew into his arms before the others could even register what was happening. Ellie was last in the room and being the youngest and smallest, she almost missed that someone else was in the house because the others were blocking her view and because she was lost in her own thoughts.

Edward could hear her thoughts clear across the room. They were loud, and he frowned as he tried to respect her privacy, but he was having a rough time. She saw him then, and her thoughts suddenly shifted. She was surprised to see him, but she was beyond excited and happy that he was back. He put Alice down just in time to have Ellie jump into his awaiting arms, and then he heard what was going on loud and clear.

"A date, huh?" he grinned.

 _It was a bad idea._

They separated and he raised a questioning brow at her.

 _I wasn't ready. I thought I was, I pushed, and I was wrong._

He smiled slightly and pulled her back into embrace. "It's good to try," he said.

Carlisle frowned as he put the pieces together. "I take it the date did not go well?" he asked.

She shrugged, still clinging to Edward as she looked to Carlisle. "Not really," she smiled slightly.

"She did fine," Jasper said. "She started to lose control and she asked for help."

"What happened?" Esme asked as she glanced around the room.

 _Too many people._

Edward listened for a moment to the multiple retells of the night from each of his siblings. His eyes darted to Rose when he realized she was the one to come to Ellie's rescue. "Really?" he asked.

"She asked for my help," Rose shrugged. "I helped."

"Hmm," Edward mused.

"Jealous?" Rose asked. "Maybe you're not her number one go to sibling anymore."

Edward frowned at her and gestured to the fact that Ellie was still holding onto him.

"It's not a competition," Carlisle reminded before things spiraled. He turned to look at his youngest child. "Do you want to talk about it, with me, in my study, perhaps?"

It wasn't really a question. She could say no of course, he wasn't that controlling, but typically his requests were followed. He always wanted to discuss situations with them one on one, it was one of the reasons they all saw him as a true Father and now just their leader. Besides, she actually did want to talk to him, but she was struggling because she didn't want to leave Edward for fear he'd disappear again.

"I'm not going anywhere," Edward said as he heard her thoughts.

"Come along, sweetheart," Carlisle said.

Edward gently let go of his sister and pulled back slowly. He offered a supportive smile before she turned and followed Carlisle and Esme out of the room. It was only natural they wanted to talk about it with her, her other siblings were there and Edward could read her thoughts to find out exactly what happened, but they didn't know. And, they wanted to hear it from her.

"Should I be worried?" Carlisle asked as he closed the door behind them.

Ellie sighed as she sat on the couch with Esme as Carlisle sat in one of the chairs. "No," she said. "Well, I don't know, maybe."

Esme smiled. "Ellie, it's okay, you are very safe with us."

"Mom, I know that," she said. "I'm not afraid of you guys."

"Then, what are you afraid of?" Carlisle raised a brow. "I don't need to have Jasper's ability to know when my children are experiencing fear."

"Everyone likes it here," she said. "I don't want to ruin things."

"Ruin things how?" he asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew.

"If I mess up again, you have to cover it up and we all have to move," she said. "This is a small town, if I hurt him everyone will know it was me, and then-"

Carlisle held up a hand. "Don't get ahead of yourself," he said. "What happened in the past is in the past. We dealt with it and we moved on. You need to too."

"But, I started to lose control tonight," she said.

Carlisle stood and walked over to sit on the other side of Ellie on the couch. "Listen to me, baby," he said as he took her hands. "We all experience that. You used to experience it all the time. Edward experienced it just a few weeks ago and that is why he left because the key is to recognize what is making you lose control and fix it. Maybe you need to feed just before you hang out with friends or in crowds. Maybe you need to practice control techniques."

"Maybe I need to stay inside forever," she mumbled.

Carlisle exchanged a smile with Esme before he put an arm around Ellie and pulled her in. "That is not the answer," he said. "You can do this. The problem is that you haven't accepted that we all forgave you for what happened. Do that, then forgive yourself, and things will be a lot easier."

Ellie snuggled into his embrace but looked to Esme. She smiled warmly. "He's right," she said. "We believe in you."

Ellie walked into the house and searched for her siblings. Her second date, more real this time and less of a hangout again, did not go as planned. She did everything she was supposed to do, and she felt confident this time. She fed before she met up with him, she met him in a place where she could easily leave if she had to, and she was careful. But, it still happened. She started to lose control, and when she tried to explain it to him, things took an even worse turn.

She could hear them almost immediately. Rose was talking to Esme upstairs, Carlisle was in his study, Edward was cheating at chess while playing against Emmett in the living room, and Alice and Jasper were just coming out of the kitchen talking about maybe taking a trip. They sat down on the couch together as she came into the room.

She crossed the room quickly and immediately reached out for Jasper in search of comfort from him. At first he thought she was just absent mindedly sitting with them and leaning into him as she often did, but then he felt it. Her emotions were strong and wild, he felt sadness, heartbreak, pain, and guilt. He turned and locked eyes with her briefly before she buried her head in his chest and he instinctively tightened his hold on her.

"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?

She shook her head and he turned his worried expression to Edward, who was already on his feet and headed over to them. He sat down on the coffee table in front of them and his frown deepened as he listened to her thoughts. Sometimes she hated that he could be so easily be so intrusive, sometimes she loved it, like when she needed to tell him something in public she couldn't say out loud, and other times, like now, it was necessary because she couldn't find the words.

Everyone in the family played a part in helping her get through things, just like any other family, but only one member of their family could make her feel better. Esme and Carlisle were understanding, Rose and Emmett were fiercely protective, Alice was sympathetic, Edward was the one to talk things through with because he could understand exactly what your mind was thinking, but only Jasper could make the feelings change.

Jasper continued to frown as he tried to pinpoint her emotions before he looked to the others. He felt Ellie start to cry and he tried to pull back to look at her but she was holding onto him so tightly he couldn't.

"What is it, little one?" he asked again. "Hmm?"

"She broke up with Luke," Edward answered. He was still navigating her racing thoughts, but he needed to give his siblings something. "Because she's afraid she'll hurt him."

Jasper managed her emotions now that he understood. He was confused because she was so hurt, and upset, but he could feel she felt guilty and now he understood why. He felt her relax, but she still had a tight grip on him and it didn't feel like she was going to let go anytime soon. He rested his chin on her head and rubbed her back gently.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alice asked her as she approached them.

Ellie shook her head.

"She just wants Jasper," Edward said as he made eye contact with Ellie. "Len, you're spiraling."

 _I can't help it. I want it to stop._

"It will," he said. "You just need to calm down."

 _I just want to be normal. I like him, he likes me, but we can't be together. What if I hurt him? What if this time no one steps in and stops me? Or, what if someone sees me and then we all end up running? Or, the Volturi come after us? Edward, what if I get us killed?_

Edward didn't have time to respond because Jasper felt the sudden change in her emotions from sadness to a strong sense of fear and he pulled her back forcefully this time to make sure he made eye contact with her. He wanted to make sure she was alright, but he also wanted to stop whatever train of thought she was on that was scaring her so much. He had his hands wrapped tightly around her upper arms and his eyes locked with her tear-filled ones.

"Eleanor," Jasper said firmly and she winced at the sound of her full name. "Talk to me, now."

"What is going on?" Emmett asked.

Edward sighed when Ellie shook her head and it became apparent that she wasn't going to answer. "She's scared of the past repeating itself," he answered. "But, to a more extreme extent."

"I'm not managing your emotions until you explain them to me," Jasper said.

Ellie's eyes darted to Edward. There was more to the story, but Edward hadn't read that far into her thoughts yet to figure it out. All the things he said were true, but she was afraid to tell them the other part of what happened. She went with letting them think it was only what Edward had told them, but she couldn't talk about it without talking about it all, and she didn't think they could handle hearing the full truth.

"Elle, you have a voice," Emmett reminded. "Use it."

They could all sense Ellie wasn't calming down. If she was human, she would be having a panic attack. She didn't want to talk, she couldn't. All she wanted was Jasper to make her feel better and now he wasn't doing that. They were all staring at her, waiting for her to talk. She tried to mask her next move as she quickly pulled out of Jasper's grasp and attempted to flea the room, but Edward had a way of getting through all the fake thoughts she put up and he blocked her way out of the room.

"You don't get to run away from this again," he said.

"You did," she shot back.

Edward raised a slight brow before he turned her around and gently pushed her back into the room with her siblings. She crossed her arms and shot daggers at them all. This happened when she was struggling with something this big, if she didn't get what she was looking for, she became difficult to deal with and she started pushing people away.

"We know you're angry," Alice started.

"She's not angry," Jasper corrected as he crossed his arms. "She's projecting anger, but she's sad."

He heart sank a little bit at his words. _I am sad. All I wanted was for it to go away. He pushed me away. Now he's angry and he won't help me._

"Len," Edward said softly. "He's not angry."

Jasper felt the pain just before Edward's words and his features softened as he unfolded his arms. "It's not my intention to hurt you," he said. "But, making you feel happy instead of dealing with what is making you unhappy is like putting a band aid on a gun shot wound."

 _You're withholding comfort to hurt me._

Edward sighed again and ran a hand over his face. "Len, you're not listening," he said. "We just want you to talk to us."

She tried, she really did, but she just started crying and the more she tried to hold it back, the worse it got. She knew the second she said any of it out loud it would then become real and she couldn't handle it being real right now. She just wanted to run away, and she wanted to be with them at the same time.

"Alright, c'mere," Emmett said once he saw her struggle for long enough. He reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her outside to sit with him on the back steps. "I love you," he said.

She looked up and smiled slightly. She knew what he was doing. "I love you too," she said.

"And, they all love you in there too," he said. "No one is trying to hurt you. No one is upset, or angry with you. Mildly annoyed maybe."

She smirked as he nudged her with his elbow. "I know what you're doing," she said.

"Good, because I know what you're doing too," he said. "I've been hard on you about dating and about being in control."

"You were right," she mumbled.

"No, I wasn't," he said. "You have control, and you have awareness about it. What you don't have is confidence or trust in yourself. I don't blame you, some of us haven't been easy on you about it, me included."

"It's okay," she said.

"Elle, it's not," he sighed. "Look, I was wrong and I should have supported you more. You were not in the wrong with wanting to date, you might not even be wrong with deciding to end it, but you are wrong right now because you won't talk to us. So, come on, give me something."

Ellie shook her head. "I'm never anyone's first choice," she said.

He frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"My whole life, as a human, I was never the best at anything, I was never the favorite child, or family member, or friend. No one ever chose me first, for anything, in any situation. I wasn't even a close second option, it was like I was always in the background, kept around for when there was no one left and settled for."

"You know we don't feel like that, right?" he said. "You're not some burden, or some constellation prize. We wanted you, all of us, we made that decision together and in case you haven't noticed, you're everyone's favorite member of the family."

"I know, and that's the point," she said. "I became a vampire, and suddenly I had all of you, and then people always chose me first. Everyone wanted to be my friend and everyone wanted to date me, I was always the first choice every school we went to. But, with Luke, he used me to make another girl jealous and this is the first time in a long time I have felt like that unwanted kid again."

"I really want to kill that kid, but there is something I want to say to you first," he said. "He used you to make another girl jealous because you are the prize, it wouldn't work if you were someone no one wanted."

"Maybe," she said softly. "But, it still hurts."

"So, that story you told in there," he said. "All lies?"

"No, I was breaking up with him and that's when he told me he only dated me to make his ex jealous, and it worked," she said. "I just left out that part so you guys wouldn't kill him at school."

"Yeah, well, the jury is still out on that one," Emmett said. "You know, there are certain things in this life that make me feel the most human. Being with Rose, Esme's motherly tone when we're cooped up inside too long and driving her crazy and being your brother. Looking out for you, wanting to protect your feelings from idiot teenage boys, that's when I feel most human."

Ellie smiled and leaned into his shoulder. "Even though Edward can read my thoughts, and Jasper can control my fears, only you can make me feel completely safe."


End file.
